Nature Trail

Beer Mill Farm is a private wildlife conservation project run by Elaine and Dick Green(that’s us). The project began back in 2000 when we planted over 10 acres of native broadleaf tree species, and has now grown to include a total of 130 acres (55 hectares) of old and newly planted woodland, marsh areas, culm grasslands and wetlands, ponds, ditches and streams, mixed and unimproved wildflower pastures. With the help of our conservation team, Natural England and the Devon Wildlife Trust we have rebuilt traditional Devon banks and native hedgerows, created and restored wildlife habitat parts of which have now been declared a County wildlife site due to the amazing wildlife biodiversity which can now be found here.

There are 4 interconnected waymarked trails thoughout the farm with rest, activity, information points and wildlife hides all open to our holiday guests but not to the general public. Explore wild Devon and join in by reporting your findings to DBRC or direct to us or on Facebook/Twitter. Send us your pictures for inclusion in our wildlife Flickr album.

Since 2000 we have been carefully monitoring and assisting our local wildlife and have recorded a huge range of native mammals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates including some species now facing serious challenges : dormice, hedgehogs, hare, rabbits, otters, red and roe deer, badgers, stoats and foxes, mice, voles, moles, shrews and six recorded species of bats are all important links in the ecosystem. No less important are the thousands of plants and minibeasts (too numerous to mention) which support the mammal and bird populations. We are delighted with our thriving barn owl population, usually producing at least one brood per year, along with their woodland cousins the tawny owls and more recently recorded little owls. Buzzards are commonly seen by day rising on the thermals above the hay fields, while kestrels hover across wetlands and sparrowhawks seem to appear from nowhere.

Winter visitors include woodcock and snipe, meadow pipits and stonechat, various geese, ducks, herons and other waders, while the summer is notable for the variety of warblers: whitethroat, chiffchaff, blackcap, willow warblers etc Hedgerows and woodlands abound with native species including greater spotted woodpecker, bullfinches, green finches, chaffinches, goldfinches, blue tits, marsh tits, great tits, long-tailed tits, wrens and goldcrests.